Show must go on

Diwali has started and the frenzy of cleaning, cooking, decorating, buying gifts, firecrackers is almost over.

As we celebrate during the much awaited festival of the year, there are a few for whom Diwali just means another working day

Diwali has started and the frenzy of cleaning, cooking, decorating, buying gifts, firecrackers is almost over. Celebration is all that8217;s on the cards. While most of us prepare to kick back and relax with friends and families during the holidays, there are a few others, for whom these festive days are nothing but another week at work. It takes people from a cross section of occupations to ensure that while we revel in the festivities, society continues to function smoothly.

Divyanshu Boora is a 24-year-old software engineer working for a multinational company. 8220;We monitor servers based across the globe. All software and services have problems. If everyone took leave the entire network could collapse, and not just in India,8221; says Boora who will thus be working throughout Diwali 8220;I am not too upset about working on Diwali; my family stays in Haryana so for me, the weekend will be more like Diwali,8221; he grins.

Another section of the society that runs non-stop is the travel and tourism industry. Priyanka Sahani works for a private airline company. This will be her first working Diwali. 8220;You cannot have flights on standstill for the whole day,8221; she exclaims. The cabin crews, ground staff, cleaners, attendants, all have to work round the clock to keep the ball rolling. I do not have any big plans, but maybe I can take off early and spend at least the latter part of the evening with my family,8221; she hopes fervently.

While for some it is their company policy, for others it is a question of survival. Nurruddin Mullick has come all the way from Kolkatta to find work here in Pune. He works as a two-wheeler parking lot attendant at the J J Garden parking lot off M G Road. 8220;We do not even get weekly offs. I work for 12 hours everyday, with one day off a month. Diwali is in fact a season when the number of visitors to public places is high, turning parking lots into utter chaos if not supervised. This Diwali is definitely not a holiday for me as I am saving up to go home after six months,8221; he says. He shares a room with his uncle and brother who also have come looking for work.

Rickshaw driver Balu Korpade, narrates a similar story. He has been traversing the city streets for the past 12 years. 8220;It depends on us whether we want to take a break from work. Diwali day means more business, hence it is not practical to stay at home. I work from nine in the morning to nine at night, so I will take my wife and kids out somewhere the day after Diwali, he says, revealing how people from different social stratas have different priorities.

For yet others it8217;s neither the company nor survival, at least not theirs, that keeps them at work even during festivals. Doctors, nurses, ward boys, anesthetists and others in the noble medical profession have to put patients before themselves. Even if it8217;s an official holiday, they often have to rush to hospital when emergencies arise.

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Traffic Police officer U G Kadam sums days like these up in one sentence. 8220;Job comes first,8221; he emphasizes. 8220;We usually get an off during the week so if we are lucky it may fall on Diwali, but these are unstable times. Especially taking into consideration the terrorist scares and other similar issues. I do miss spending time with my family, but things like this go with the job,8221; he smiles.

A telling statement indeed, and a gentle reminder that while you paint the town red, somebody is watching your back. Diwali may be a stress buster and a sweet escape for society at large, but for these hardworking individuals, the show must go on.